Frank Gorshin
Frank Gorshin was an impressionist, comedian, and actor who played Commissioner Bele in . He is best remembered for his portrayal of The Riddler on the campy 1960s . In later years, he portrayed classic cartoon characters like "Foghorn Leghorn", "Daffy Duck", and "Yosemite Sam" in various animated shorts. This talent for mimicry would lead to his masterful portrayal of legendary comedian George Burns in his one-man play "Say Goodnight, Gracie." He also played the role of Burns in his final film, 2005's Angels with Angles, with Amy Wieczorek as Burns' wife and partner, Gracie Allen. Gorshin had a role in the 1957 film The True Story of Jesse James, starring Jeffrey Hunter and featuring Frank Overton and Clegg Hoyt. In 1959, he made an uncredited appearance in the western Warlock, as did Paul Comi. TOS actor DeForest Kelley and guest actor Whit Bissell had larger, credited roles in this film. Gorshin's first substantial role was in the 1960 film Bells Are Ringing, with Dean Martin and guest actor Roy Jenson. Gorshin also had a role in the 1978 mini-series Greatest Heroes of the Bible. Other Star Trek alumni featured on this series include Ted Cassidy, Jeff Corey, Nehemiah Persoff, John Schuck, and Dean Stockwell. In 1993, Gorshin appeared in the film Amore!, which also starred TOS actor James Doohan. That same year, he appeared in The Meteor Man, featuring Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr., Wallace Shawn, and Deborah Lacey. And in 1995, he made an appearance in the acclaimed science fiction thriller, Twelve Monkeys, co-starring actor Christopher Plummer. (Gorshin and Plummer also appeared together in 1987's The Gnomes' Great Adventure.) One of Gorshin's last films was the 2002 comedy Manna from Heaven, which co-starred Louise Fletcher and Seymour Cassel. In 2003, Gorshin reunited with most of the surviving Batman cast members, including TV Catwoman Julie Newmar and movie Catwoman Lee Meriwether, in the TV special Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt. Gorshin died in 2005 in Burbank, California, following bouts with lung cancer, emphysema and pneumonia. He was 72 years old. Other Trek connections Addtional projects in which Gorshin appeared with other Star Trek performers include: * Studs Lonigan (1960, with Stanley Adams) * Where the Boys Are (1960, with Jon Lormer) * Sail a Crooked Ship (1961, with Guy Raymond) * The George Raft Story (1961, with Seamon Glass and Roy Jenson) * The Great Imposter (1961, with Willard Sage) * Disney's That Darn Cat! (1965, with Karl Held, Liam Sullivan, and Bride of Frankenstein star Elsa Lanchester) * Sky Heist (1975 TV movie, with Arch Whiting, Al Wyatt, Ed McCready, Stan Barrett, Bill Catching, James Daris, Steven Marlo, and Joseph Campanella) * Record City (1978, with Wendy Schaal, Ed Begley, Jr., and Alan Oppenheimer) * Legends of the Superheroes (1979 TV movie, with William Schallert and Mickey Morton) as the Riddler * Death Car on the Freeway (1979 TV movie, with Roger Aaron Brown) * Goliath Awaits (1981 TV movie, with Duncan Regehr) * The Edge of Night (TV series, 1981-82, with James Horan) * A Masterpiece of Murder (1986, with Clive Revill, Jason Wingreen, and Louise Sorel) * Hollywood Vice Squad (1986, with Emilia Crow and Ronny Cox) * Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers (1989, with Brooke Bundy, Keone Young, and Vic Tayback) * Sweet Justice (1992, with Marjean Holden, Chuck Hicks, Scott Leva, Jeff Pruitt, Michael Canavan, and Marty Rackham) * Body Double (1992, with Marty Rackham) * Midnight (1989, with Robert Miano and Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr.) * Buford's Got a Gun (1995 short subject, with Dan Gauthier) * Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997, with Alice Krige) * After the Game (1997, with Mike Genovese, Sam Anderson, and Richard Lineback) * The Phantom Eye (1999 TV mini-series, with Michael J. Anderson) * Luck of the Draw (2000, with Patrick Kilpatrick, Christopher Doyle, Andy Milder, and Erik Cord) Trivia Gorshin's passing came just four days before the first appearance of "The Riddler" (voiced by horror movie icon ) on the animated series The Batman, on which Gorshin himself played the role of "Hugo Strange". External Links * * * - pictures and trivia Gorshin, Frank Gorshin, Frank de:Frank Gorshin es:Frank Gorshin